1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns an apparatus for automatic component insertion in p.c. boards as specified in the preamble of the main claim.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An apparatus of the specified kind is known (EP-OS 0,234,904). The video camera used in this case as gaging means is fixedly disposed beside the robot, and the robot arm initially moves the component to be inserted from the ready position across this stationary video camera where the tips of the component leads are gaged from below by the video camera and the gaging result is compared with the gaging result obtained for the drill holes of the p.c. board, which are gaged by a separate second video camera. If no displacement of the leads is detected during this operation, the robot advances the component further to the insertion position above the p.c. board, and the gripper of the robot then lowers the component onto the p.c. board to thereby insert the component leads into the corresponding drill holes of the p.c. board. In this known apparatus the robot arm during its travel from the ready position to the insertion position has to make a detour via the stationary gaging means, said detour taking up about 30% of the cycle time. Moreover, the known apparatus with the gaging means for gaging the component from below is not suited for every type of component but is limited to gaging of electronic components having downwardly depending leads.
Similar considerations hold for another known apparatus of the specified kind (DE-OS 3,546,216), in which chip carriers are transported by means of a vacuum chuck from a ready position to the insertion position above a p.c. board. Here, too, the chip leads are gaged from below by means of a video camera. Therefore this known apparatus is also suitable only for the insertion of chip carriers; because of the use of a vacuum chuck and gaging from below the apparatus would be unsuited for inserting other components such as mechanical components.